Hello RUC users.
As most of you know, the transition from the RUC to its replacement, the Rapid Refresh (RR - http://rapidrefresh.noaa.gov), is nearing. Below is a set of questions posed to NCEP's Geoff DiMego and Geoff Manikin, with their answers. Please see the RR website for real-time data and other RR information.

We will begin more posting to this website and use the same RUC Forum as a RUC/Rapid Refresh Forum with additional postings there.

Questions (from FAA)/answers on Rapid Refresh (answers from NCEP/EMC/Geoff D/ GeoffM)
1. When does NWS target the termination of the RUC-40 GRIB-1?
1) The current estimate for when the Rapid Refresh will replace the RUC is the spring (Feb-Mar) of 2011. There is a possibility that it could be a few months later than that. A really firm date can not be established until ~3 months prior to implementation.

2. When will the Rapid Refresh 40Km (RR-40) GRIB-1 version be available from the NWS for testing?
2) We expect to have preliminary data available for testing by October.
i. WARP (FAA) requests a live sample/test data feed be available for use at the WJHTC FBWTG Test Lab.
i) As a rule, we do not send data to specific users but instead we make it available for any user to download. Therefore, the RR test data will be made available for anonymous ftp from a public NCEP web site. Note that hourly model bufr sounding data will not be available until a later date.

3. When will the RR-40 GRIB-1 Pressure version be available from the NWS for operational use?
3) The RR will become operational at the same time that the RUC

is terminated. Please see response to question 1.

4. When will the RR-13 GRIB-2 Pressure version be available from the NWS for testing?
i. WARP requests a live sample/test data feed be available for use at the WJHTC FBWTG Test Lab.
4) The answer is identical to the answer to question 2.

5. When will the RR-13 GRIB-2 Pressure version be available from the NWS for operational use?
5) The answer is identical to the answer to question 3. Please note that the 13, 20, and 40 km data sets are all generated from a single 13 km RR run, so once that run becomes operational, all the various resolution data sets will be available simultaneously.

6. Are archived files of the RR-13 and RR-40 available now from NWS?
6) No, we are currently still testing the RR. Once this testing at NCEP has stabilized and we are thoroughly convinced our test system is producing good results, we will begin providing test data.

7. Could we get a sample data set for the RR-40 GRIB-1 with the reduced FAA unique parameter set, i.e., equivalent to what is received today in RUC-40 Grib1 Pressure?
7) Yes, we should be able to provide that limited data set, but it may take slightly longer to have it ready. Since we have not achieved the status described in th